Davis pursues second term

State Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene, announced this morning that he will seek a second term in the District 5 seat.

"When I first ran for this office two years ago, I made a commitment, I made a pledge to go to Raleigh and make sure the voice of ordinary people was heard in Raleigh," he said.

As part of that committment, he said he decided that even during session, rather than get a temporary apartment in Raleigh, he would drive back and forth to Snow Hill -- a decision he believes allowed him to stay in touch with the needs of the district.

"I think it's made me a more effective legislator," he said. "I've tried to make my way across the district, talking to various communities and various residents."

And he believes he has done a good job of representing those wants and needs, pointing to a legislative record that includes bills on improving pyrotechnic safety, shutting down puppy mill operations, increasing penalties for timber theft, funding military business centers, protecting teachers and combatting the dropout rate.

Additionally, he also pointed to his ranking as the 24th most conservative legislator -- the fourth most conservative Democrat -- by the John W. Pope Civitas Institute.

And now, Davis, a 38-year-old former mayor of Snow Hill and an eight-year U.S. Air Force veteran, wants to continue that work.

"Today, I am announcing my intent to seek a second term in the Senate to help create jobs, develop a stronger and more skilled workforce and to improve our public schools. I'm not in it for me. I'm in it to make a difference for the people in our community," Davis said. "I know times are tough and I know stakes are high when we think in terms of families and individuals who are out of work and small business that are struggling."

So his focus for a second term, he said, would be on jobs and the economy.

"We must embrace the business community. I would like to see us work with community leaders to become much more aggressive with our effors to assist small business owners," he said. "With the level of layoffs that we have experienced, retraining and retooling will be even more critical over the next couple of years.

"We're all in this together, and I believe we'll get through this together."

And, he added, he believes that as a second-term senator, he can be even more effective.

"We're going to continue talking about the issues that matter to our people and continuing to work," he said. "I've seen you can make a tremendous difference in public service and elected office, and I believe I'm a more effective legislator and I'm going to work to make a difference."

Filing for the May 4 primary will begin on Feb. 8. No other Democrat has announced yet for Davis' seat, though on the Republican side, former Wayne County state Rep. Louis Pate has announced he will challenge Davis once again after losing in 2008.